As It Was - Jschlatt x Reader

chapter eight.

Once you'd returned back to your apartment, you'd decided a quick shower was ultimately in order. The scent of sweat and outside and city was not something you liked, so it was a good idea to wash it off. Once done, you gave your rabbit its morning greens and hay, adding a couple slices of carrot, strawberry, and mint leaves. You really spoiled your pets, it was always fun to do.

"Right, calling Cal," you muttered as you sat at the desk, dusting off the old computer and booting it up, "better do that."

She answered fairly quickly, just as you'd leaned the device against the monitor, "hey, Y/N! You gonna tell me what happened now?"

"I didn't sleep at all, first off," you sighed as you opened up Canva to start up making stream overlays, "so I went for a run this morning. I ran into Schlatt on the Capital Mall, and we went together."

"Ooo, you guys went on a run? Reminds me of finals week."

"That's what I was saying," you grinned, opening a new tab and looking for color pallets, "it was fun. We both apologized, I think we're friends again."

"YOU'RE BOTH WHAT?"

You winced at her excited shout, clearly she'd wanted this a lot more than you. That's a lie, you wanted it so terribly badly. You hated how you still loved him the same amount you did in college, especially now that you'd need to put in so much more work. Trust was super hard to rebuild once it was broken.

"Yes, Cal, we're friends again, please don't yell-"

"Sorry, I got excited and also ran out of ADHD medicine today... Not like I have to take Vallium to make it back over the pond," she muttered, looking slightly anxious, "but it's alright. What are you working on?"

"Stream overlays," you said lightly, "I'm looking at color pallets right now."

"That reminds me," Cal said, setting her phone down so you could watch her pack her suitcase, "send me a link to either a Skytech or Starforged computer you like, I have the discounts, remember?"

"Right, I haven't forgotten," you said, choosing a color pallet and getting to work on the graphics, "Schlatt just texted asking to call, can you add him?"

"Yep!" Cal paused in folding a shirt, adding Schlatt to the Facetime call, "hello!"

"Ew, it's Calico-"

"Ew, it's Schlatt."

You laughed at their mini back and forth, getting into the rhythm of graphic design. You were happy to make the overlays match your aesthetics, placing your Twitch name in the corners wherever applicable. You enjoyed the process, just talking to your friends and laughing. It really felt like old times again.

"So what's the only pretty one here doing?" Schlatt asked, finally focusing on you, "overlays?"

"Hey, Wilbur's pretty too," you scolded teasingly, "but yeah. It's the hardest part. I have Canva access from work at least, so it's easier."

"Canva is great," Schlatt mused, "I enjoy it."

You didn't notice how Cal quietly left the call.

"Right," you said, turning your camera around to show him the work in progress, "thoughts?"

"It's very you. I like it a lot."

You smiled at his words, continuing to work and talk with him. It felt great to have him back in your corner, you were finally complete again. It felt wonderful.

You had no clue how deep Schlatt's and your joke went in Calico's mind, though.

Meanwhile, at the AirBnB, Calico was just quiet. It was unusual how quiet she was. She usually had music on or was talking on the phone whenever she did tasks. 

If only she knew how to stick up for herself sometimes. Hits at her intelligence and looks always cut the deepest, even if she thought she was over it. Today just wasn't her day. First her alarm didn't go off, then her medicine was out, now this and later a flight. Ugh. She usually was the one who would stick up for others if they were evidently hurt, but nobody ever did for her.

Talk about hell on the psyche.

"Cal?" Wilbur hummed, peering into the room, "you alright?"

"Yeah," she fibbed, focusing back on her clothes instead of the wall, "anxious about the flight. That's all."

"Is it?" He questioned suspiciously, watching her fold her clothes, "because I don't entirely believe you."

"It's nothing important, just being overly sensitive. Really, Wil, it's fine."

Wilbur didn't believe her. Not one single bit.

"Do you wanna tell me what happened?"

"To make a long story short, Y/N called, told me about their morning with Schlatt, and Schlatt joined the call, and the two did a 'so how's the prettiest one in the call?' bit. Y/N answered with 'Wilbur isn't here either," and it just kinda stung."

Wilbur stayed quiet, sitting beside her. Only the pair of them knew that was why she'd stopped streaming in the first place. The comments and jokes at her expense got to be too much.

"You're the best person I know, Cal," he said quietly, giving her a hug, "don't let them bother you. I'll drop the new EP tomorrow, and you can react to it dramatically on my stream if it'll make you feel better."

Sighing to yourself, you'd noticed that the call had gone on for a few hours at this point. It wasn't expected, but time sure could fly by when you were having fun!

"Oh, Cal left," Schlatt said, looking mildly surprised, "I didn't notice."

"She is flying out tonight," you answered, cracking open the old Streamlabs app up, "geeez. Fifty updates. I reaaally should have had that going while I was making the overlay, that'll take ages to update."

"Yeah, I hate Streamlabs. It's annoying and needlessly complicated, but it does what it has to do the best. Don't try and do alerts on the actual app by the way, it NEVER works. Just do it on the website, I'll send you a link on Discord."

You nodded absentmindedly, opening the app. Also fifty updates!

"Gods, so many UPDATES. This thing really is ancient," you huffed, "it's still Windows Ten, too."

"You're still on that?! Man if you don't update..."

"I will when I get a new machine," you gave him a dry look, "really."

"If you insist~" he grinned smugly, watching you focus on working, "I'll leave you be. Cya later, Y/N."

"Cya, Schlatt."